Geography

Situated about 500 mi (805 km) north of the
equator, the Central African Republic is a landlocked nation bordered by
Cameroon, Chad, the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the
Republic of Congo. The Ubangi and the Shari are the largest of many
rivers.

Government

Republic.

History

From the 16th to 19th century, the people of
this region were ravaged by slave traders. The Banda, Baya, Ngbandi, and
Azande make up the largest ethnic groups.

The French occupied the region in 1894. As the
colony of Ubangi-Shari, what is now the Central African Republic was
united with Chad in 1905. In 1910 it was joined with Gabon and the Middle
Congo to become French Equatorial Africa. After World War II a rebellion
in 1946 forced the French to grant self-government. In 1958 the territory
voted to become an autonomous republic within the French Community, and on
Aug. 13, 1960, President David Dacko proclaimed the republic's
independence from France. Dacko moved the country politically into
Beijing's orbit, but he was overthrown in a coup on Dec. 31, 1965, by Col.
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, army chief of staff.

On Dec. 4, 1976, the Central African Republic
became the Central African Empire. Marshal Jean-Bédel Bokassa, who
had ruled the republic since he took power in 1965, was declared Emperor
Bokassa I. Brutality and excess characterized his regime. He was
overthrown in a coup on Sept. 20, 1979. Former president David Dacko
returned to power and changed the country's name back to the Central
African Republic. An army coup on Sept. 1, 1981, deposed President Dacko
again.

In 1991, President André Kolingba, under
pressure, announced a move toward parliamentary democracy. In elections
held in Aug. 1993, Prime Minister Ange-Félix Patassé
defeated Kolingba. Part of Patassé's popularity rested on his
pledge to pay the back salaries of the military and civil servants.

A 1994 economic upturn was too small to
effectively improve the catastrophic financial condition of the nation.
Patassé was unable to pay the salaries due to government workers,
and the military revolted in 1996. At Patassé's request, French
troops suppressed the uprising. In 1998 the United Nations sent an
all-African peacekeeping force to the country. In elections held in Sept.
1999, amid widespread charges of massive fraud, Patassé easily
defeated Kolingba. Patassé survived a coup attempt in May 2001, but
two years later, in March 2003, he was overthrown by Gen. François
Bozizé. After two years of military rule, presidential elections
were held, and Bozizé won in what international monitors called a
free and fair election.

Prime Minister Elie Dote and his government
resigned in January 2008, a day before Parliament was set to debate a
censure motion against him. Faustin Archange Touadéra was named as
his successor.

The trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former vice-president of Congo, began at the International Criminal Court in November 2010. He is accused of ordering his militia to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, and torture, in the Central African Republic in 2002 and 2003 during civil unrest that followed the attempted coup against Patassé.